Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 57 of 107

56 • FOODSERVICE EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES • MARCH 2018
Beefsteak
Ownership: ThinkFoodGroup,
Washington, D.C.
Founded: 2015
Segment: Fast-casual
Units Open: 5
Average Ticket: $10-$11 per
person
Best Sellers: Frida kale bowl,
curry lentil bowl, customizable
bowls
Beefsteak, part of Chef Jose Andres'
ThinkFoodGroup portfolio, launched
in Washington, D.C., as a next-gen
fast-casual concept celebrating veg-
etables. Currently at three units in
D.C., one in Bethesda, Md., and one
on the University of Pennsylvania
campus, the company plans to develop
additional corporate stores. Its recent
partnership with Compass Group USA
will lead to Beefsteak units opening in
noncommercial operations managed by
Compass Group's Bon Appétit division.
"It was a dream of Jose's for a long
time to create a vegetable-centric restau-
rant, with the goal of feeding 1 million
people a day," says Eric Martino, chief
operating officer of ThinkFoodGroup's
FastGood Concepts division. "We wanted
to do a concept that meets demands for
convenience, transparency and customiz-
ability, with vegetables as the stars. That
being said, we're not positioned as a
vegetarian restaurant. Our focus is simply
on clean ingredients with low carbon
footprints and high nutrient values. We
partner with local growers for many of
our ingredients and with local compos-
ters, who in turn sell their compost to
some of our growers."
Helping to bring the concept's
motto — vegetables, unleashed — to life,
Beefsteak's graphics feature caricatures
of playful, slightly naughty vegetables.
Other prototypical design elements
include soil-colored flooring and sky-
blue ceilings, from which white produce
cartons hang in cloud-like clusters.
Its menu celebrates "the unsung
power of vegetables" and features chef-
inspired and/or customizable combina-
tions of vegetables served atop warm
grains or salad greens and topped with
signature sauces and a wide selection of
toppings. These include optional pro-
tein add-ons such as chicken sausage,
salt-cured salmon and poached eggs.
"One of the biggest things we had
to figure out was how to be able to do
vegetables in a fast-casual environ-
ment," Martino notes. "After a lot of
experimentation, we settled on blanch-
ing them to order in salted water for
about 90 seconds before they go into
the bowl with grains or greens and
toppings. We use programmable pasta
cookers for blanching. A second key is
to ensure that all of the vegetables are
cut in the right size and/or shape to
ensure compatible cook times."
While vegetables are the stars at
Beefsteak, Martino says chicken sausage is
the best-selling add-on. That fits with the
plant-forward movement, in which animal
proteins aren't shunned but enjoyed as
complements to vegetable-based dishes.
"That speaks to the fact that we can
accommodate all diets, from high protein
to vegetarian and vegan," Martino says.
"But whatever your choice, you can feel
good about the ingredients and the fact
that you've had a healthy and delicious
meal that's also fast and affordable."
Above: A chef-developed best seller at Beefsteak is
the Frida Kale bowl, which features rice, kale, sweet
potato, black beans and spicy tomatoes topped
with cherry tomatoes, scallions, Corn Nuts, pump-
kin seeds, cranberries and lemon-honey dressing.
Photo by Rey Lopez
by CHLOE.
Ownership: ESquared
Hospitality, New York
Founded: 2015
Segment: Vegan fast-casual
Units Open: 9, 3 additional
opening early 2018
Average Ticket: $17-$20
Best Sellers: Quinoa taco
salad, The Guac Burger
An upstart brand from multicon-
cept operator ESquared Hospitality, by
CHLOE charted new territory for the
firm: Not only is it the company's first
fast-casual brand, it's also entirely vegan.
Most of by CHLOE's customers,
however, are not. Manuel Trevino, cor-
porate executive chef, has been with the
brand since the beginning and says its
immediate and broad-based acceptance
by mainstream consumers was a bit of
a surprise.
"Initially we were a little concerned
that our customer base would be limited
Below: The 100 percent plant-based menu at by
CHLOE's ranges from house-made veggie burgers
and salads to pasta dishes and, in some locations,
breakfast and brunch items. Shown here are the
pesto meatball sub with air-baked fries and the
popular quinoa taco salad. Photo by Mikey Pozarik
Where's
The Beef?